The Coming of a New Heaven and a New Church
by Reverend Paul Booth
Lessons: Daniel 12: 5-8, Revelation 21: 1-5, The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine: 4
by Reverend Paul Booth
Lessons: Daniel 12: 5-8, Revelation 21: 1-5, The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine: 4
Often we hear spoken of an Ancient Heaven and Church and, of course, when one reads the book Revelation they learn about a 'New Heaven' that was formed and a New Church descending from heaven that was seen formed there. We in the Lord's New Church know that a New Church has already come on earth while others still wait for the Lord to come and establish it here. The first or Ancient Church and its heavenly doctrine was a doctrine of love and charity only. In fact, they knew nothing of the doctrine of 'faith alone' as many of today do. From study of the Word of the Divine Human one learns that the Ancient heavens are set 'as it were' the in higher expanses while in the lower expanses is the New Heaven; heaven's expanses being one above another.
In the highest expanse are the celestial angels which came mostly from the Most Ancient Church. They have celestial love or what is known as Love to the Lord. Then beneath these there are the spiritual angels; these mostly are from the Ancient Church and have spiritual love and this love is charity towards the neighbor. Beneath them are angels who are in the good of faith; these had lived a good life of faith while on the earth which is to live according to the doctrine of one's Church; which is willing and doing accordingly. Nonetheless these three heavens make only one through mediate and immediate influx from the Lord and are referred to as the Ancient Heaven. The New Heaven is not among them.
By the 'First heaven and earth' passing away at the Last Judgment does not mean the Ancient Heavens passed away. It refer to the imagery heavens that re set up by Christians who had died and entered into the spiritual world. Then we learn it was at the Last Judgment that a New Heaven and New Church was then created or formed and those whose doctrine was false fell into hell. That was a time when those who lived after the Lord's Coming, His First Advent up to the time of the Last Judgment when the Lord came to the spiritual world. This New Heaven was from those who lived a life of faith and charity and not a doctrine of faith alone; as such they were forms of heaven. Such a form is of Divine Truth from Divine Good which form proceeds from the Lord. This is the form which a man puts on as to his spirit through living according to Divine Truth.
Angels, of course, are forms of heaven also and one sees here that this new heaven was composed of the quality of the life of faith and of charity. Thus angels are conjoined through love with others as himself, for love conjoins itself reciprocally and mutually, for love in the spiritual world conjoins. In this we see the Ancient and the New Heaven that is formed are one together arising from one mind because there is nothing which separates and divides them; everything conjoins and unites. This New heaven began with all those who were of such a character at that time coming from the earth into the spiritual world and this from the time of the Lord's first Coming to the present.
Naturally, then, the New Heaven consists of not just Christians whose life was and is of faith and charity, but it is also made of Gentiles and even more so of the children of all the whole world upon leaving this world's life since the time of the Lord coming. They have been received by the Lord, educated in heaven and instructed by angels and so are preserved with the all the rest in heaven.
When we read Revelation we cannot but see a Judgment taking place in the spiritual world. Most will say it is here in this world and upon those evil here at its end. But we need to read and understand it from the internal sense and where we realize that it is mainly upon the Christians of that time that had passed away and gone astray who enter the spiritual world from the time shortly after the Lord's crucifixion and the early times of the Apostles up to then. Then when the Lord came to the spiritual world for judgment it was then that the New Heaven and a New Earth or Church was established. The Ancient Church and its Heaven had already ended at the Lord's First Advent. It too was judged and those whose doctrine was not of love and charity were judged in the spiritual world and came not into heaven, but into hell.
However, by a New Church and New Heaven coming or appearing and an old church and heaven passing away as we have already seen is not meant the Ancient Church or Heaven and as we learned in Revelation. It was that Christian Church that had gone astray on earth that when it came into the spiritual world and which had set up for themselves imaginary heavens. When the New Earth is spoken of in Revelation it is meant a New Church that then comes upon earth; the old one is no longer a true church. One needs to know that this Church was instituted by the Lord and descends from Heaven out of the Lord to the world from that event to today and that through it is the only way there is a conjunction with the Lord. In the spiritual sense the word 'church' is represented by the 'earth' or 'land' and not any particular land. It is the nation itself there and its worship that is meant; for this is the spiritual equivalent of that land. Still, in the Word, by 'earth' or 'land' is meant the land of Canaan, for in that land the Church had been even from the most ancient times. Thus, all the things in it, around it, the mountains and rivers which are mentioned in the Word are now seen as representatives and significative of the things which are the internal things of the Church, and as such are spiritual things.
We learn that Abram traveled into the land of Canaan and that his posterity was born and lived there, that they became a nation and after conquering the land and eventually building cities there - the main one was Jerusalem in which was their worship and doctrine taught and is thus a meant Church. From a spiritual sense in the Word 'Jerusalem' became the Church in respect to doctrine. Thus was the temple and the altar and the sacrifices there and so also Divine worship itself was there. One can see then why 'Jerusalem' means doctrine. One therefore reads the "Holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven." It is the Divine Truth in the Word what is called the 'Holy.' It is therefore to be seen from this that the 'New Jerusalem' is called 'new church' in that the earth or land signifies the Church, and by Jerusalem the Church as to doctrine. By coming down from God out of heaven is said is because all Truth Divine, from which is doctrine, descends out of heaven from he Lord. Therefore the New Jerusalem is not to be seen as a literal city set up in heaven or on earth, but a new doctrine and, so, a New Church established on earth.
Our Church is not merely one of the New Church's that are on earth today, nor is it just called a Church of the New Jerusalem. The name we have is very special. We are called "The Lord's New Church which is Nova Hierosolyma" and this is for different reasons. First, since the Lord is also One with the Divine or the Father in heaven and is seen and called there in heaven as the Lord by all those in heaven, we use word Lord in our Church's name. Second, because it was a New Earth (or Church) that was seen descending which in the Word is understood as a meaning a new doctrine coming upon earth we added the words 'Nova Hierosolyma.' It is most likely 'Nova Hierodolyma' was used and not New Jerusalem was because there was already a church which had the name and so we used the Latinized version of New Jerusalem 'Nova Hierosolyma' which also can be seen written in the Word.
We have been criticized for choosing this name, claiming that by it we are too presumptuous in calling ourselves the Lord's New Church which is the New Jerusalem that now descends on earth. Nonetheless, what we mean by it is that we strive towards that goal of being His true Church, that we look forward to one day becoming truly His Church in the true sense of the doctrine understood in its spiritual sense. We realize we do not understand completely the internal or spiritual sense of the Word and so the doctrine as angels understand; that will be learned in heaven. We understand that its doctrine is out of heaven and thus is in the spiritual sense of the Word. In this way it is identical with the doctrine in heaven. There is a also a Church in heaven as there is a Church on earth. Again, the Word is there as it is here on earth and so the doctrine is there as it is on earth, but only if it is understood in its internal or spiritual sense can there be New Church on earth. However, in heaven, they (angels) are in a greater perfection then we.
At the beginning of today's sermon was mentioned a doctrine of 'faith alone' and by that was indicated there was no charity with many of those who followed after the Ancient Church nor is there today. Now the Lord had come and established the Christian Church and, of course, it was not a church of faith alone. The question to ask is from where does this 'faith alone' doctrine come? Those having such doctrine we see coming to there end in Revelation in the spiritual world and a new one appearing or coming upon earth.
Sometimes there may be heard "the Churches of Christendom" which one accepts as the Reformed or Evangelical and today the Catholic. In the time of Swedenborg there was the also the church of the 'Papists,' from which is now called the Catholic. However in this "Papists' church the people were forbidden to read the Word or to worship the Lord. Instead the Papists were worshipped. Where the Word was read and the Lord worshipped was the Church, but not where the Word was not read and the doctrine was one of 'faith alone'. At the end where in Revelation one sees these churches having come in heaven ending in a Last Judgment, a New Church is seen being established on earth from a new doctrine which descends through another Word revealing the internal or spiritual sense.
However, even though the Lord when He was on earth taught the doctrine of charity and faith and the Apostles adhered to it that doctrine was lost just as the Ancients over a process of time had declined from the true doctrine of Love and Charity and fell away from the good of love to the Lord. So, many in those of the Christian Churches had at that time who came into the spiritual world could not enter into heaven and form the New Heaven from which a New Church now descends from the Lord to the earth.
Amen.
In the highest expanse are the celestial angels which came mostly from the Most Ancient Church. They have celestial love or what is known as Love to the Lord. Then beneath these there are the spiritual angels; these mostly are from the Ancient Church and have spiritual love and this love is charity towards the neighbor. Beneath them are angels who are in the good of faith; these had lived a good life of faith while on the earth which is to live according to the doctrine of one's Church; which is willing and doing accordingly. Nonetheless these three heavens make only one through mediate and immediate influx from the Lord and are referred to as the Ancient Heaven. The New Heaven is not among them.
By the 'First heaven and earth' passing away at the Last Judgment does not mean the Ancient Heavens passed away. It refer to the imagery heavens that re set up by Christians who had died and entered into the spiritual world. Then we learn it was at the Last Judgment that a New Heaven and New Church was then created or formed and those whose doctrine was false fell into hell. That was a time when those who lived after the Lord's Coming, His First Advent up to the time of the Last Judgment when the Lord came to the spiritual world. This New Heaven was from those who lived a life of faith and charity and not a doctrine of faith alone; as such they were forms of heaven. Such a form is of Divine Truth from Divine Good which form proceeds from the Lord. This is the form which a man puts on as to his spirit through living according to Divine Truth.
Angels, of course, are forms of heaven also and one sees here that this new heaven was composed of the quality of the life of faith and of charity. Thus angels are conjoined through love with others as himself, for love conjoins itself reciprocally and mutually, for love in the spiritual world conjoins. In this we see the Ancient and the New Heaven that is formed are one together arising from one mind because there is nothing which separates and divides them; everything conjoins and unites. This New heaven began with all those who were of such a character at that time coming from the earth into the spiritual world and this from the time of the Lord's first Coming to the present.
Naturally, then, the New Heaven consists of not just Christians whose life was and is of faith and charity, but it is also made of Gentiles and even more so of the children of all the whole world upon leaving this world's life since the time of the Lord coming. They have been received by the Lord, educated in heaven and instructed by angels and so are preserved with the all the rest in heaven.
When we read Revelation we cannot but see a Judgment taking place in the spiritual world. Most will say it is here in this world and upon those evil here at its end. But we need to read and understand it from the internal sense and where we realize that it is mainly upon the Christians of that time that had passed away and gone astray who enter the spiritual world from the time shortly after the Lord's crucifixion and the early times of the Apostles up to then. Then when the Lord came to the spiritual world for judgment it was then that the New Heaven and a New Earth or Church was established. The Ancient Church and its Heaven had already ended at the Lord's First Advent. It too was judged and those whose doctrine was not of love and charity were judged in the spiritual world and came not into heaven, but into hell.
However, by a New Church and New Heaven coming or appearing and an old church and heaven passing away as we have already seen is not meant the Ancient Church or Heaven and as we learned in Revelation. It was that Christian Church that had gone astray on earth that when it came into the spiritual world and which had set up for themselves imaginary heavens. When the New Earth is spoken of in Revelation it is meant a New Church that then comes upon earth; the old one is no longer a true church. One needs to know that this Church was instituted by the Lord and descends from Heaven out of the Lord to the world from that event to today and that through it is the only way there is a conjunction with the Lord. In the spiritual sense the word 'church' is represented by the 'earth' or 'land' and not any particular land. It is the nation itself there and its worship that is meant; for this is the spiritual equivalent of that land. Still, in the Word, by 'earth' or 'land' is meant the land of Canaan, for in that land the Church had been even from the most ancient times. Thus, all the things in it, around it, the mountains and rivers which are mentioned in the Word are now seen as representatives and significative of the things which are the internal things of the Church, and as such are spiritual things.
We learn that Abram traveled into the land of Canaan and that his posterity was born and lived there, that they became a nation and after conquering the land and eventually building cities there - the main one was Jerusalem in which was their worship and doctrine taught and is thus a meant Church. From a spiritual sense in the Word 'Jerusalem' became the Church in respect to doctrine. Thus was the temple and the altar and the sacrifices there and so also Divine worship itself was there. One can see then why 'Jerusalem' means doctrine. One therefore reads the "Holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven." It is the Divine Truth in the Word what is called the 'Holy.' It is therefore to be seen from this that the 'New Jerusalem' is called 'new church' in that the earth or land signifies the Church, and by Jerusalem the Church as to doctrine. By coming down from God out of heaven is said is because all Truth Divine, from which is doctrine, descends out of heaven from he Lord. Therefore the New Jerusalem is not to be seen as a literal city set up in heaven or on earth, but a new doctrine and, so, a New Church established on earth.
Our Church is not merely one of the New Church's that are on earth today, nor is it just called a Church of the New Jerusalem. The name we have is very special. We are called "The Lord's New Church which is Nova Hierosolyma" and this is for different reasons. First, since the Lord is also One with the Divine or the Father in heaven and is seen and called there in heaven as the Lord by all those in heaven, we use word Lord in our Church's name. Second, because it was a New Earth (or Church) that was seen descending which in the Word is understood as a meaning a new doctrine coming upon earth we added the words 'Nova Hierosolyma.' It is most likely 'Nova Hierodolyma' was used and not New Jerusalem was because there was already a church which had the name and so we used the Latinized version of New Jerusalem 'Nova Hierosolyma' which also can be seen written in the Word.
We have been criticized for choosing this name, claiming that by it we are too presumptuous in calling ourselves the Lord's New Church which is the New Jerusalem that now descends on earth. Nonetheless, what we mean by it is that we strive towards that goal of being His true Church, that we look forward to one day becoming truly His Church in the true sense of the doctrine understood in its spiritual sense. We realize we do not understand completely the internal or spiritual sense of the Word and so the doctrine as angels understand; that will be learned in heaven. We understand that its doctrine is out of heaven and thus is in the spiritual sense of the Word. In this way it is identical with the doctrine in heaven. There is a also a Church in heaven as there is a Church on earth. Again, the Word is there as it is here on earth and so the doctrine is there as it is on earth, but only if it is understood in its internal or spiritual sense can there be New Church on earth. However, in heaven, they (angels) are in a greater perfection then we.
At the beginning of today's sermon was mentioned a doctrine of 'faith alone' and by that was indicated there was no charity with many of those who followed after the Ancient Church nor is there today. Now the Lord had come and established the Christian Church and, of course, it was not a church of faith alone. The question to ask is from where does this 'faith alone' doctrine come? Those having such doctrine we see coming to there end in Revelation in the spiritual world and a new one appearing or coming upon earth.
Sometimes there may be heard "the Churches of Christendom" which one accepts as the Reformed or Evangelical and today the Catholic. In the time of Swedenborg there was the also the church of the 'Papists,' from which is now called the Catholic. However in this "Papists' church the people were forbidden to read the Word or to worship the Lord. Instead the Papists were worshipped. Where the Word was read and the Lord worshipped was the Church, but not where the Word was not read and the doctrine was one of 'faith alone'. At the end where in Revelation one sees these churches having come in heaven ending in a Last Judgment, a New Church is seen being established on earth from a new doctrine which descends through another Word revealing the internal or spiritual sense.
However, even though the Lord when He was on earth taught the doctrine of charity and faith and the Apostles adhered to it that doctrine was lost just as the Ancients over a process of time had declined from the true doctrine of Love and Charity and fell away from the good of love to the Lord. So, many in those of the Christian Churches had at that time who came into the spiritual world could not enter into heaven and form the New Heaven from which a New Church now descends from the Lord to the earth.
Amen.
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